East Meets West at Refinery29 Shopping Party
Select pieces donated by designers for a silent auction to help benefit the Housing Works charity
New York–based fashion blog Refinery29 covers the latest trends and captures the essence of NYC street-style and the go-to places for shopping in the city. It’s now expanding its reach to report on the stylish happenings on the Left Coast, and they extended us an invitation to help them celebrate.
And we were happy to check it out—because there’s plenty of turf to cover on the fair streets of Los Angeles.
To kick off the launch of Refinery29 L.A., a shopping party was thrown at Space 15 Twenty in Hollywood, and we got a first look at the goods.
The event was like shopping from the pages of the blog come to life. Retailers and brands provided pieces to be sold at sample-sale prices, and there was a well-represented contingent of local labels and boutiques such as Society for Rational Dress, Quail, Heidi Merrick, StantonJames.com, LnA, Band of Outsiders, Jenni Kayne, The Battalion, TenOverSix and Geren Ford. If you’re not salivating yet, high-end pieces by Helmut Lang, Vena Cava, Rag Bone, Shipley and Halmos with a good mix of vintage were also thrown in. I couldn’t keep my eyes off a vintage khaki Burberry trench coat.
One of the participating retailers welcomes the new perspective that the site can open up. “It’s nice when people outside of L.A. get a true picture of what the fashion scene is like here because so often it is misinterpreted,” said Brooke Price, co-owner of StantonJames.com. “L.A. style is different than New York, Europe or anywhere else—it’s much more of that kicked-back style with a rock-like edge. It will be great for this to get more notice.”
The New Yorkers did bring their usual basic black, which I spied in the form of a giant hairy vest by Phillip Lim complete with back embellishment, long tuxedo vests by Helmet Lang and Alexander Wang skinny trousers.
Select pieces were also donated by the designers for a silent auction.
Delicious noshes by Space 15 Twenty eatery Umami Burger, flowing cocktails, live music courtesy of L.A. girl band The Like and tunes spun by KCRW DJ Jason Bentley made the buying all the more fortuitous.
But shop with a guilt-free conscious because a portion of the proceeds from sales will to go Housing Works—a New York–based organization that assists homeless and low-income individuals living with HIV and AIDS.
The sale will go on through the weekend, so hopefully this Friday is payday.
L.A. band The Like kept the crowd entertained
